Shadows and Echoes
by imlaughingnow
Summary: Tori and Beck weren't so different; they both cared about Jade too much. It was a selfless sort of love for a girl too lost in her own world to realize just how much she meant to everyone. /\ In which Tori is willing to help Jade find herself, when Jade can't find the strength to do so herself. Jori friendship. Bade.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer for all chapters: I don't anything, so leave me alone.**

**This is for every person who got lost somewhere in the shuffle.**

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Howdy guys. So I finally got some time and some balls and decided to finish this. I have the entire plot planned out and I may or may not be slow with updates- however not as slow as this giant hiatus. Something important you should know is that **_Jade's mother is no longer in a coma_**. In fact, she is alive and well in this story. I know some of you really liked that aspect but I had to get rid of itso the characters could grow. As for where she is, well that's soon to come. **

**Hopefully you'll still be looking out for ol' S&E when I update it. **

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**(.x.)**

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**Shadows and Echoes**

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Jade was not herself. Tori wasn't a stalker or anything, but she had noticed some subtle and not-so-subtle changes with the raven haired girl. Ever since the incident involving The Worst Couple game show and Beck's infamous, "let's play some cards", Jade had become a different person. It astounded Tori to know that she was the only one who had noticed. She was the one who had known Jade for the least amount of time, yet could read the girl so openly if she wanted to. Maybe it was because Tori kind of, sort of had a fascination with Jade West. Her self-confidence and fire inspired Tori to try and do the best she always could. Sometimes, she had, unfortunately, stooped to Jade's level when it came to devious planning and had done things like kissed her boyfriend on her second day of school and held the school Prome on the day her play, Clowns Don't Bounce, was supposed to debut.

Jade had always faltered, then managed to pull herself together and bounce back with more force and determination that before.

Except this time.

Tori didn't know what it was that Beck did to Jade for her to be like this, but she knew that she had to do something about it. She couldn't just stand by and watch her very inspiration crumble before her eyes.

She supposed she felt angry at Beck, and Tori wasn't sure why. She wasn't the one Beck had hurt, in fact, Beck had tried to kiss her twice and it had done nothing more than made Tori curious and then, admittedly, a bit disgusted. Beck used his tongue to speak ill of the very Jade he had claimed to love for three years. He belittled her, as if it would make his lips seem more appealing to Tori. Which by the way, they didn't.

It made Tori realize that she only ever wanted to kiss Beck because Jade kissed Beck for three years and, in a way, she just wanted to see what it was like. Everything Jade did fascinated her, intrigued her so much that Tori often found herself adopting pieces of Jade's characteristics as her own. Her snarky comments to her sister, Trina and sometimes to Robbie; speaking to Cat as if she was no more than an eleven year old; they were all Jade's traits. All she wanted to do was sparkle like Jade did, or to _make it shine_ like Jade's eyes did when she was particularly happy.

It was just her luck that the person she looked up to the most tended to hate her guts most of the time.

But now that there were these differences in Jade, Tori was sure that if she could find Jade again, maybe the blue-eyed girl would finally accept her as a friend.

.

"Cat," Tori asked, chewing on a baby carrot after recording a segment for their Crazy Nugget Show. She was in her blue pajamas, sitting in her red sofa with her feet tucked underneath her. When Tori swallowed, Cat's big doe brown eyes were trained on her, "how long have you been friends with Jade?"

"I don't know," Cat shrugged and popped some popcorn into her mouth, "for as long as I can remember. Our moms were in birthing classes together."

"Oh," was all Tori could say.

How the hell was she supposed to top a friendship that originated in the womb?

"Why?"

"Hasn't she been acting strange to you? I know I haven't known Jade as long as you have or anyone else for that matter, but- but don't you think she's different?" Tori rambled and then pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose before turning to catch Cat's eye.

"Jade is always different. Maybe she just needs time? She feels a lot." Tori frowned at Cat's answer but she didn't push the topic. Cat was already uncomfortable; the lowered eyes and fidgeting hands were telltale signs that Cat most certainly knew more than she was letting on, and while Tori wanted to know what the hell was really going on, she knew better than to push the topic. Too many questions made Cat faint.

"Yeah, maybe that's it."

.

Jade sometimes forgot her lunch home and she usually never brought money because she was saving up for a typewriter- why, Tori had no idea. Jade had said it added authenticity to her writing and Tori didn't comment. Beck, although he remained silent, had rolled his eyes and Tori could tell he was biting back a comment. Everyone could, it was why Andre had started rambling about his new song and why Robbie engaged Cat in a rather obnoxious conversation with Rex.

"You can have some of mine." Tori offered, pushing her plastic bowl of food towards Jade. The girl in question opened her mouth to retort, but then she changed her mind and pulled out the pickles from Tori's burger along with a few fries before she slowly gathered her things, occasionally shooting Tori a watchful, cautious glare.

Ever since then, Tori had started buying larger portions of her food and Jade had started sitting next to her, simply because she wanted the food. She never said thank you, but Tori could tell by the way Jade would sometimes smile hesitantly for a few moments, that she was appreciative of what Tori was doing. Tori noticed these things because she noticed a lot of things about Jade.

It was just something she did. She liked to collect and archive all of Jade's quirks in her mind, for future reference.

She kind of (totally) liked it when Jade sat next to her in lunch, even if she barely touched any of the food Tori would buy. She would frown as Jade would spend all her time with her chin propped up by her hand while her other twirled the pasta in the bowl between them.

Tori would like to know what went on in Jade's mind.

.

"How come you don't eat anymore?" Tori asked when they were alone at lunch. Andre was working on a project with Cat, and Robbie and Beck were trying to fix Robbie's old car again. It was always breaking down; it was why he used his bike these days.

"What?" Jade snapped out of whatever dream she was in, and slammed her fork down.

"You just, um, don't eat as much as you used to. Is, is everything fine?"

"I don't have an eating order if that's what you're worrying about." Jade spat out her words in a particularly nasty motion and examined Tori's expression before gathering her things.

"Jade, please- I didn't mean it like that. I'm just worried." Tori stuttered and reached out to grab Jade's arm but the pale girl had backed away.

"You're worried about me?"

Tori nodded.

Jade burst out into a rowdy fit of laughter. She had dropped her things on the table and shook her head in disbelief, a cold smile still on her face. "I think the person you should be worrying about is yourself. I'm strong; I don't need anyone to worry about me."

.

"Andre," Tori looked around the hallway and when satisfied that they were alone, she continued, "what was Jade like before I came to Hollywood Arts? Was she always this mean?"

The boy shook his head, sending his dreds flying, stinging his cheeks. Tori could see his confusion etched upon his face, he had scuffed his shoes against the bare hallway before settling his deep, chocolate eyes upon one of his best friends. Technically, Tori wasn't supposed to be asking questions about Jade. Their relationship was already as tense as it could ever possibly get. "What did she say this time?"

"Nothing," Tori gripped her books more tightly in her hands before speaking again, "she seems different and I was wondering if she was always like this? Before I was accepted into Hollywood Arts I mean."

"Jade used to love to paint. In middle school she used to paint Cat a picture once a week and she even did a few for me." Andre spoke softly, as if he was saying something he wasn't supposed to. His gaze suddenly became shifty and he cleared his throat briefly before going, "Why do you care anyway?"

"Jade's our friend, she's also the girl you loved for a while last year. She's been acting differently. She's spacey and I feel like we're losing her." Andre was her best friend, Tori knew she didn't have to hide anything from him. Andre would always listen to her when she rambled or ranted about Trina's new beauty experiments with the kitchen condiments. She knew he would always tell her the truth. It was what she loved the most about him, even if he knew it would hurt someone, Andre never lied. He always tried to be honest otherwise he got wonky in the head.

Tori was an excellent liar. She lied to herself the best, and she suspected that maybe Jade wasn't so different. Maybe Jade was lying to herself as well, and she needed someone to set her straight and help her get back on track.

"I know she's been acting differently, but maybe it's just a phase? Maybe she just needs time?" was Andre's feeble answer. Tori could see the duress on his face, she could tell he was struggling to remain uninvolved in whatever inner turmoil Jade was going through, and Tori supposed he had a point.

"We can't leave her alone when she needs us the most."

"Since when do you care about Jade anyway?" Andre asked exasperatedly, "she's always done horrible things to you. I know she's a nice person but she doesn't show it much, does she? You barely even know her."

"If nobody else is going to be there for her, I'll make sure I will be there. Jade isn't as strong as she would like everyone to believe." It took the Vega girl an extra second to pull herself together. Andre's comments, though true had managed to rub her the wrong way.

"Jade pushes everyone away when they get too close, Tori. Just remember that." She re-adjusted the bag strap on her shoulder before she spared Andre one last knowing glance and stalked away.

.

"…and Jade." Sikowitz's booming voice declared and Tori made her way to the front of the classroom, followed by Robbie and Cat. It was only then they realized Jade was still sitting in her chair, absentmindedly studying the tips of her boots. Sikowitz cleared his throat, unaccustomed to this new, nonchalant Jade West and opened his mouth to speak but closed his mouth. Sikowitz usually called Jade out on her abrasive ways, but today he kept his mouth shut and spoke to Jade in a soft voice Tori was sure she had never heard before. "Jade," he said, "come up on stage and do this acting exercise."

The girl's had snapped up, more from feeling everyone's eyes trained on her rather than from hearing Sikowitz's request. She straightened her shirt and ran a hand through her dark locks before she took great strides to the stage. Usually Jade stomped with an exaggerated scowl and a dramatic roll of her eyes. Today, she did nothing.

"Um, what are we doing?" This questioned worried Tori. Firstly because Jade was never one to say things like "um" and secondly, Jade was always on the top of her game. She was never lost in classes, even if she never paid attention or spent her time doodling in her notebooks, she always knew what topic they were doing and she almost always knew the answers to the teacher's questions. She made everything seem effortless, even though Tori dedicated three hours a day to her studies outside of the arts and still never seemed as sure or as intelligent as Jade did.

"You and Robbie are siblings that Tori and I are babysitting." Cat explained, wringing her hands together.

"Oh," another thing to worry Tori. Jade only said "oh" when she was equally annoyed. She said it with fervor and an I-don't-care-what-you-really-have-to-say-so-shut-u p voice. But now, she spoke with almost no feeling at all. Her words were empty enough to be swept up by the wind and blown out of the classroom through the open windows and taken to the other side of town. Jade seemed to be nothing more of a shadow.

"Action," Sikowitz commanded, clapping his hands together.

"Robert, Jadelyn it's time for dinner." Cat spoke easily, patting Robbie on the head as he sat down on a prop on the stage. "It's your favourite, broccoli."

"I hate broccoli." Jade crossed her arms indignantly and pouted.

"Come on Jadelyn, it doesn't taste that bad." Tori placed her hands on Jade's shoulders and rubbed them up and down the way her mother did to her whenever Tori was upset.

"Well, you eat it if it doesn't taste that bad."

"Robert, tell your sister to behave and let's just enjoy some broccoli." Cat had taken a hardass approach and arched her eyebrow.

"No, broccoli isn't my flavour." Robbie shrieked and jumped out of his chair, making it topple over.

After three minutes of Tori and Cat trying to subdue a hysterical Robbie, the bell rang and everyone filled out of class. Jade made a beeline for her bag and had managed to push her way through her classmates and ended up being the first to leave.

"Tori, may I speak to you for a second?" Sikowitz had now crossed his arms and was pulling at his beard, pensively.

"See you at lunch, Tor," Andre said before all of her friends shuffled out of class. Beck gave his teacher and friend an indifferent look as Cat dragged him away, giving him an earful about her brother.

"Does something seem different to you?" Sikowitz paced the floor and had now clasped his hands behind his back.

"Different how?"

"Jade seems different." Sikowitz supplied, never looking up from his unsettling pacing, "I'm not usually one to get involved in my students' personal lives but this change has transformed Jade into one of the students in the back of the class that don't speak. The murmur-ers. I don't know what happened and I am not interested in knowing. Fix her Tori, bring her back. I don't care what you do, just get her back." Tori, unable to find any words, had simply nodded her head dumbly at her teacher who had stopped pacing to give her solemn look, "I find this Jade to be much scarier than the last."

.

"The storm's getting worse. I don't think you'll be able to go home tonight, Jade." Tori's mother announced from the kitchen. A loud explosion of thunder sounded, as if to prove her point. Mrs. Vega shot Jade a knowing look before grabbing her bowl of fruit and retreating to her bedroom.

"Great, a night at the Vega household. Just what I wanted." Jade muttered bitterly.

"Come on," Tori pulled a smile, "it's just like a sleepover."

"I hate sleepovers."

"You sleepover by Cat all the time." Tori pointed out, closing her Science textbook.

"She's my friend. You're not." Jade responded flatly and Tori winced.

"It won't be that bad," Jade snorted then pulled a single pretzel from the bowl of chex mix her mother had made for the two of them. "We could play a game."

"We're not children."

"I'm just trying to be nice," Tori spoke, exasperation evident in her every word. The lights flickered on and off and the lightning flashed through the windows. When the thunder sounded, Trina screamed from her bedroom upstairs and Tori rolled her eyes at her sister's antics. "But you aren't making it easier for us to get along."

"Tori," Trina wailed, "Tori come up here. I'm scared."

"Trina's afraid of thunderstorms." Tori supplied to a surly Jade.

"As if I couldn't tell."

.

"Jade, are you okay?" Tori asked later that night when the storm had more or less passed and the two were curled up on her bed, lying next to each other but really thousands of miles apart, oceans and countless landforms between them. She could reach out and hold Jade's hand right now, and Jade wouldn't notice.

"I'm just peachy, thank you for asking." Jade imitated Tori in that Judy Garland voice of hers.

"I don't talk like that," Tori cried weakly. She felt Jade shrug next to her, and shift so her back was now to Tori. "You're so different now and I just, I just want you to know that I'll always be here if you need to talk."

She never got a response so Tori didn't say anything else. When she thought Jade fell asleep, she whispered, "I know something's wrong Jade, but pushing everyone away won't make it better. I know you love Beck, and I know you're hurting but I swear if you let us in, if you give us a chance, we won't disappoint you like he did. You're our friend, we love you." It was much easier to talk to Sleeping Beauty next to her, rather than when Jade was actually awake. "I miss you, please come back."

.

The next morning, Tori woke up and Jade was in her kitchen, pushing the eggs Mrs. Vega had made for her, around her ceramic plate. Tori's mother was usually one who made breakfast for herself but Jade had a plate full of food in front of her, so it must have been her mother's doing because Tori couldn't picture Jade cooking.

"Morning."

"Morning sweetheart," Her mother spoke cheerily, "I woke up to this one trying to sneak out." Mrs. Vega nodded her had in Jade's direction who rolled her eyes. "Eat your breakfast, Jade." Jade, not used to orders from an adult, far less from a mother figure, huffed before putting a small forkful of food into her mouth and chewed slowly. "I expect an empty plate when I get back." She gave Jade a sharp look who made a face. Mrs. Vega simply smiled before she carried a plate of breakfast for her husband who was lounging upstairs.

"I always thought nobody could get more annoying than you or your sister, but I was wrong. Your mother is a combination of you two; she's much worse."

"She's just looking out for you." Tori shrugged and stole a slice of toast off of Jade's plate because while her mother had gone out of her way to make breakfast for Jade, she had done nothing for Tori or Trina, her actual daughters. Jade didn't slap her hand away, but rather pushed the plate away from herself, towards Tori who had taken a seat at the kitchen table. They were used to sharing food.

"I don't need anyone looking out for me," Jade spoke firmly.

"Yes you do."

"No, I don't. I don't need anyone."

.

"Explain to me why I can't go home?" Jade groaned and collapsed unto Tori's bed.

"There's a flood and my mother isn't letting your drive out there by yourself." Tori said patiently and sat down gently next to Jade, making sure she didn't accidentally sit on Jade's raven hair and make it pull at the roots. Jade had a thing for her hair; simply put, she loved it. She was always fixing it into place and running her hands through it.

"I don't even know why I'm listening to your stupid mother." It was only past midday, but Jade's voice was trailing off and Tori could see her breath even. She was in one of Tori's purple tank tops and yoga pants. It only took her under ten minutes to fall asleep.

Jade was always tried now. She yawned excessively and when Cat pointed it out last week, Jade had snapped at her bitterly and avoided them for the following two days. Her clothes didn't fit anymore, but rather hung loosely from the very curves they used to accentuate. She had deep bags under her eyes and she forgot what classes she was supposed to be in, even though she had long memorized everyone's time tables since the beginning of the school year. Tori knew because Cat sometimes forgot hers and Jade would recite it for her, before dragging the smaller girl to their respective classes.

Jade was sleeping. Sure, she was awake and she was functioning but she was really fast asleep, just like the Sleeping Beauty she was. Tori and the rest of her friends had to now search the dark forest to find her, to find Jade wherever she was having her slumber and wake her up.

"Jade, wake up." Tori commanded weakly.

"No," Jade mumbled, "Just give me some more time."

.

.

"Here Jade, try the beans, they taste amazing." Tori had lifted her fork and Jade cocked her eyebrow and pursed her lips, glaring at the other girl until Tori shrugged and put the forkful of beans into her own petite mouth. When Tori's mother found out that Tori bought extra food for Jade, who now couldn't even remember her books for class, Tori's mother had started cooking- and not only for herself this time.

"_Why are you doing this, mom?"_

"_Why are _you _doing this?" Her mother countered. "Last I heard, you were barely on speaking terms with, Jade."_

"_I don't know," Tori shrugged and pushed her glasses up her nose bridge nervously, "she's different and I guess it kind of scares me."_

"_Different how?" Her mother prompted and gently nudged her in the side. _

"_She's hollow." _

"I don't eat beans." Jade said tightly.

"You don't eat at all." Andre muttered and ignored Cat's gasp and the way Jade gripped her drink too tightly. "Don't look at me like that. You're a stick and I'm not afraid of you anymore. Nobody here is, we're worried about you. If you wanted to scare us; well that's what you're doing. You win, so just drop the act and start eating again."

"This isn't an act." Jade hissed, slamming her drink down.

"That's not what I meant," Andre sighed heavily while Robbie slowly put Rex inside his school bag. Beck never looked up from his burrito and Cat's eyes started to water. "We're just worried about you."

"Save us the time and spare me the lifetime speech, okay?" Jade snapped then gathered her books before she stalked away, shoving a freshman out of the way. For a moment, she was back and then her flame flickered and danced until Beck sighed his cold, heavy breath and Jade went out as if she was nothing more than a mere candle that Beck, the birthday boy, had blown out. Now she was lost in the dark, staying as quiet as she could so that Tori, Cat and Andre wouldn't find her.

Jade sat by herself now and since she was still saving up for her typewriter, the most she had was a cup of coffee for the day. That lasted less than two days, because Tori had plopped herself in the seat opposite Jade in such a dramatic matter that she hoped it would distract her from the fact that Jade didn't really consider them friends. The girl had looked up from her sketchbook- one that Tori had never seen before, then slammed it shut and shoved it into her bag.

Tori grinned nervously and Jade rolled her eyes. As much as she didn't want Tori Vega sitting with her during lunch, she despised being alone even more.

Sometimes, Cat would sit with them, but she was never very good with choosing sides and Jade never held it against her. Cat could barely make a proper decision for what she wanted for breakfast. Jade never took it personally.

Okay, she did.

Cat was her best friend. Hell, their mothers were best friends and yet Cat chose Beck over her.

It said a lot, didn't it?

.

"_Jade, you never speak anymore."_

"_Jade, you never eat anymore."_

"_Jade, you never smile anymore."_

"_Jade, you never hang out with us anymore."_

"_Jade, you're not yourself."_

"_Jade, you're not with us anymore."_

"_Jade, you're not still in love with Beck anymore, are you?"_

"_Jade, where did you go?"_

.

"Jade," Cat exclaimed suddenly, grabbing her friend's hands, "It's eleven-eleven; make a wish." The girl in question closed her blue emeralds and Tori tried her best to read her lips, but failed to do so. "What did you wish for?"

"If I told you, it would never come true."

"You always say that," Cat huffed playfully and crossed her arms. Jade never responded, but rather trained her gaze on the pitch of the Asphalt Café floor instead. The familiar pang of jealousy jolted Tori from her thoughts. "Since you never tell me what you wish for, does that mean they all come true?" Cat asked innocently, "each and every one of them?" Jade slowly turned her head to face her smaller, wide-eyed friend and her face muscles pulled into an unfamiliar pattern. Jade gave Cat a sad smile.

"No, they never do," she said. Her small smile never disappeared.

Cat never asked Jade to make a wish again after that.

.

"Jade," Beck said approaching the girl before Sikowitz's class, "how have you been?"

Jade stiffened and Tori found herself instantly inching closer. On instinct, she had grabbed Jade's arm and squeezed it; when she realized what she was doing, she dropped Jade's arm immediately, like she had just burnt her hand on a particularly hot pan her mother was using to make one of her amazing morning omelets. Jade never reacted to Tori's touch and Tori wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed.

"Skip the pleasantries, Beck." Jade crossed her arms and Tori could have sworn she saw the fire in those baby blues once more. "What do you want?"

Beck glanced at Tori, making it clear he wanted to talk to Jade alone, but Tori pretended she didn't see his pointed looks. If Jade wanted her to leave, then she would. Tori had stepped back, but she was still close enough to the former couple to hear their conversation.

"We've been broken up for over three months now." Beck said slowly and rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Tori wondered if Jade loved when he did that- if she swooned like all the other girls.

"Nice observation."

"I noticed you weren't doing well." Beck willed himself to speak. He wasn't as ignorant or as indifferent as everyone else would like to think, he knew Jade was hurting. She was so fragile, so much more delicate than their friends or anyone else could ever imagine, and he usually had to tiptoe around her and her heart. Eventually he had grown tired of tiptoeing and in the process managed to crush her heart instead. Beck never realized what he was doing and he wondered if Jade did. She liked extreme emotions, usually that of pain or anger. She said they made her feel alive.

"I'm perfectly fine." Jade's words were a physical attack. They told Beck to take a step back and get the hell away from her, but Beck was never one to fall for Jade's threats. He was always pushing the limits and boundaries, willing to see how far Jade would go- how much she was willing to sacrifice for him. How much he really meant to her.

"No, you're not." Beck inched closer and ignored Tori's glare. He didn't know why she of all people was stuck to Jade's side like that. Jade was never a particularly a good friend to Tori and Beck had made sure to point this out to the younger Vega girl, but it did nothing to stop Tori from rejecting Beck Oliver and his gorgeous mane of hair.

Tori and Beck weren't so different; they both cared about Jade too much. It was a selfless sort of love for a girl too lost in her own world to realize just how much she meant to everyone.

"Just because we're not together anymore, doesn't mean I don't care about you." Beck had grabbed her hand and Jade almost physically recoiled at the physical contact. Their laced fingers burnt an angry pattern on her skin. Beck took her silence to his advantage and gave Jade a quick peck on the cheek when he thought nobody was looking. "If you ever need to talk, you know I'll always be here for you."

.

"What's your favourite colour?" Tori asked Jade one Wednesday afternoon. The sky was overcast with grey clouds that weren't large enough to contain rain. Everything was cold and humid. It gave the day a gloomy feel to it. The colours seemed dull, everyone's words lulled into sorrowful lullabies and conversations were replaced with distant looks and heavy sighs. Lucky for Tori, she was used to this kind of behavior with Jade. Originally, she had thought that eating with Jade, letting her wallow in her thoughts was the right thing to do, but it had gotten her nowhere.

Tori was no closer to finding Jade than she was before.

She didn't expect an answer, but she had widened her eyes and inched closer to the pale girl and never took her eyes off of those long eyelashes of Jade's until said girl shifted uncomfortably in her seat, "Royal blue."

A wide grin shadowed Tori's face and she didn't miss a beat, "Mine is purple. Blue and purple go good together, you know."

"What are you gay now or something?" Jade snorted and twirled the thick ring around her finger. It had a silver skull that would grin evilly at Tori whenever it made a full circle around Jade's thin, elegant finger.

Tori's shoulders hunched and she dropped her fork. Her mouth went dry and her head was spinning. She wasn't gay- at least she didn't think so, but apparently a lot of people did. She could hear their voices, the sneers and the jabs. She could see her defaced locker, her notebooks ripped to shreds inside of it. She could hear their taunting laughter as she dropped her school bag and tentatively reached forward to examine her locker. Someone has accidentally slammed into her and she fell against the lockers, before falling to her knees.

"Relax, Vega. It was a joke." Jade never caught Tori's eye and kept her eyes focused on the tray of food in front of her as Tori snapped out of whatever memory she was re-living and stammered out an excuse before she scurried away.

Jade was good at many things, music, acting, dancing wasn't her forte but she could still sway her hips in time with the beat, she could also paint a pretty picture or two if was in a particularly good mood but one thing she was excellent in, was chasing people away.

She had done it to her parents, her brother, Cat and Andre when she got her first boyfriend, Beck and then finally Tori. Jade was used to it. Usually when they ran, they never came back. After a few weeks or so, they would drop by to clear their conscious. Their visits would grow less frequent and soon enough she would forget things; the sound of their laugh, what they were allergic to, their parents' names.

She was used to this cycle, so when Tori ran, Jade wore a knowing smile that hurt to pull together. Her chest ached and her vision clouded. Her skin thrummed with a familiar sadness and her heartbeat slowed down to accompany the sorrowful tune her body was intent on producing. She sucked in a shaky breath and rapped her fingers against the table; anything to distract herself from the silence.

.

"What's your favourite food?" Tori asked the next day and Jade jolted awake, because Tori wasn't supposed to come back this soon. Jade eyed the Latina as she produced another bowl of food for Jade, filled with mashed potatoes and broccoli. "my mom wants to know what you like so she can make it for you. She even started packing lunch for you separately." Tori opened Jade's significantly smaller bowl of food, placing the blue cover next to her own. Tori reached over and grabbed a fork, placing it in Jade's right hand before giving her an encouraging nod and digging into her own bowl of food.

"Why?" Jade asked when Tori had shoveled mashed potatoes down her mouth.

"Why what?" Tori struggled to speak with her mouth full of food and Jade gave her a disgusted look to which Tori swallowed, her cheeks burning red.

"Why does your mother care?"

"I don't know," Tori admitted, "But she likes you enough to cook for you. My mother never cooks for anyone but herself, so I'm not complaining. Now eat your food."

Jade was used to hearing orders. She heard them, the cold words slicing through the thick, tense atmosphere. The glares that usually accompanied them did nothing to unnerve her and the waving hands and shrieking, hysterical voices were things she was used to hearing, even as a young child. But when Tori gave orders, she spoke in a gentle voice, her lips turned up into a small smile and her eyes would crinkle ever so slightly at the edges.

Somehow, they managed to coax Jade into doing whatever it was that Tori wanted her to do, so Jade found herself raising a small forkful of potatoes to her mouth. Tori smiled encouragingly and Jade almost didn't want to disappoint her, so she forced herself to eat as much as she could, never pausing to speak, fearing that she would break her momentum and stop altogether. She listened to Tori complain about Trina's antics, forcing a smirk as she struggled with such a simple task such as finishing a child sized bowl of food.

"I like pasta." Jade said when she could no longer stomach anymore food. Tori never forced her to finish the bowl, but rather smiled proudly at Jade, as if she had just completed some unmanageable feat. She continued to smile at Jade in that creepy way until Jade cleared her throat and snapped her fingers in front of Tori's face irritably.

"Okay, well you know what to expect tomorrow." Before they departed, Tori to Math and Jade to History, Tori had given Jade's hand a reassuring squeeze, much like the one Beck always used to give her when they were still BeckandJade. It made Jade's chest ache, like there was some invisible force pressing down on her chest, making it hard for her to breathe, but it also calmed her down a bit and gave her some sort of strength to walk to class, her mind empty of second guesses and nasty accusations.

.

That weekend, Tori's mother had invited Jade over for dinner. Tori's dad was taking Trina to an audition three towns away and Tori and her mother had the house to themselves. Jade initially refused, with a bitter laugh but when Tori wouldn't shut up about it, Jade finally gave in just so she could get go through a day without Tori trying to seduce her with images of pasta and garlic bread.

"So Jade, how are things?" Tori's mother asked when Jade had spooned herself a small plateful of pasta.

"Fine," came the uncomfortable reply. Jade was unaccustomed to all this attention. Usually when she wanted to be noticed, she would command everyone's attention and when she wanted to lounge in the shadows for a while, she would do that too. She could disappear as easily as a chameleon. But now, she was under constant Vega scrutiny. Two Vegas were a hundred times worse than one- even if they did have good food.

"You're going to have to eat more than that, honey." Mrs. Vega responded merrily.

Tori didn't know why her mother had taken such a personal investment in Jade West. Her mother never gave her any attention like that, not when she came home, dry tears streaked across her face. She never cooked for her, or asked her how things were. Tori was her daughter but she, together with Trina, had always been invisible to their parents. Trina had reacted by dedicating her best efforts to gain their interest, even if for a fleeting second, by engaging them in outlandish conversations and by her obnoxious antics. Trina wanted to be seen and heard all the time, every time. Their parents made her that way.

Jade frowned deeply as Mrs. Vega reached over the table and tumbled more pasta until Jade's plate. "That's more like it." She said, before settling in her seat once more. Jade, to her credit, glared at the plate of food in front of her before wordlessly stabbing the spaghetti with her fork. "So, tell me how life has been treating you?"

Tori looked away from her mother and found Jade pushing back her seat after her fork fell unto her plate, clattering as it did so. "Why do you even care?" Jade's words were filled with venom that Tori did her best to dodge. "The two of you need to get off my back. I'm not your daughter and I'm not your friend. Just leave me alone." Jade grabbed her jacket off the coat rack and stomped, her boots thudding against the Vega's fine wood flooring, before she slammed the door shut.

"Go after her, Tori." Mrs. Vega never looked up from her plate pull of pasta, "Make sure she's not alone."

"Why do you even care, mom? You don't even know Jade." Tori threw her napkin down at the table, "you never did any of these things for me but Jade comes along and you treat her like the child you never had."

"Sometimes, people need the attention. Your friend Jade needs someone and I want you to be that person." Her mother had finished twirling the spaghetti and was raising it to her lips, "now go after her."

.

"Jade, wait." Tori had to run to catch up to the other girl, she was out of breath and running in her bedroom slippers, but she only slowed when she fell into step with Jade and her combat boots. "Please stop running."

"I'm not running, I'm walking. How stupid are you?" was Jade's hostile answer.

"That's not what I meant." Tori grabbed Jade's arm roughly and pulled her to a stop. She was so weak now, so skinny that it was easy to do. "And you know it. I'm not letting you go until you tell me what's wrong."

"What's wrong is that you're squeezing my hand and it will most likely bruise tomorrow. Now let go."

"No, I dare you to try and get away. Go ahead, fight back, do something; anything." Tori was shouting now, and she shook Jade as hard as she could, "I could break you into little pieces right now, and you wouldn't be able to do a single thing." Tori finally pulled away when she realized Jade had frozen inside of herself. Her body had tensed and her breathing grew labored. "You're too weak to fight."

It was like the roles were reversed, Tori was the one spitting accusations down Jade's throat and Jade was defenseless against them. It was for Jade's own good; that was what Tori told herself. She was fed up of this Jade who was too weak to fight back, too tired to stay away and always lost in her thoughts, so much that she never kept a conversation going. She was misplaced; gone; she had disappeared. She was hardly a representation of who she used to be, and Tori, for the life of her, was holding unto this Jade, digging her nails into whatever remained because she didn't want to lose that too.

"I am tired of fighting." Jade avoided her gaze and Tori could see from her slumped shoulders and the way she was playing with her cuticles that Jade wasn't particularly keen on admitting these things to herself, far less to Tori. Her voice wavered and the fact that Jade was approaching Tori, her armor laid down, stunned Tori more than she would like.

"You're tired of everything and I hate it." Tori channeled her surprised into something Jade would react to; anger. This new Jade didn't feed on confrontation as much as the old Jade- the real one did. She kept quiet, and avoided it when she could.

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing? You did nothing wrong!" Tori shrieked then brought a tired hand to rub her eyes. "We miss you and we want you back." When Tori wanted to be like Jade, when she wanted to be strong and opinionated, she never knew it meant that Jade would lose her self-confidence, that she would misplace the very essence that made her Jade West. Tori didn't know she would get lost in that dark place inside her mind, she didn't know Jade would replace her self-assurance with second guesses and glazed over glares.

"I've been here every day. I've never left." Jade struggled against Tori's grip and made a sour face when she couldn't pull out of Tori's grasp.

"Don't lie to me, Jade. I deserve more than that. I'm only trying to be here for you, I deserve the truth." Tori Vega was never one to get angry easily, but this new weak Jade annoyed her to new lengths. Jade had no reason to second guess herself, she was strong and powerful. She had more talent in her hand that would take the rest of the world years to acquire.

"I never told you to be here for me. I don't want you to be here for me."

It had to be a lie, Tori mused. Someone so lonely could never be happy on her own.

"You think you can chase us out of your life- chase me, but I'm not going anywhere, Jade. I care about you, Cat does, Andre, Beck, my mom, Sikowitz and even Robbie and Rex. Whatever you're going through, it will be much easier if you let us in." Tori squared her shoulders and took a step closer to Jade. She wasn't ready to assume this role, she wasn't ready to be able to help Jade clean up the mess she made, the mess Beck made, the mess someone made, but she was willing to try. Tori wasn't sure if she could fill the footprints Jade had defined in the sand, but she had to try. She had to be strong, she had to help Jade. She would lift her up, and carry Jade on her back if it meant getting Jade to solid ground.

"It will be easier if you let me go home."

"I'm not letting you go, Jade. Just tell me what's wrong."

"I don't know what's fucking wrong, Tori. If I knew, I would have fixed it by now, but I don't know why I'm like this." Jade had never planned to turn out this way, everything she did was precise and deliberate. It had happened gradually, but she was bursting at the seams. The Jade West everyone had admired was now a mere memory and this new Jade was weaker than Cat. It all came down to her acting; every day Jade pretended she was still the person she was and hoped nobody would notice. She prayed that this wouldn't happen- this confrontation thing. This wasn't Disney Channel, she didn't need anyone to try and fix her because she wasn't broken.

She was just…

Jade spun around on her heels and ran away. She was always running away from them and hiding in behind the layers of mistrust and the cobwebs of lies she fed herself. She was always trying to stay away from them.

**.**

**.**

**.**

_Sometimes when I close my eyes, I pretend I'm alright_

_But it's never enough._

**.**

**.**

**.**

**(.x.)**

* * *

**Edited. Hella yeah. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Shadows and Echoes**

**Chapter 2  
**

**(.x.)**

**.**

**.**

**.**

_you put your hand on top of mine,_

_you're talking fast but talking blind_

_and I can't bring myself to meet your eyes_

**.**

**.**

**.**

When Jade got home, she was out of breath; her chest heaved up and down and her throat burned with forbidden tears she refused to let fall. Jade West didn't cry- at least not in public. Her stomach churned from all the spaghetti Mrs. Vega made sure she shoveled into her mouth before her consistent questions and Tori's worried glances. Too exhausted to push open the large, oak door the led to her living room, Jade collapsed upon the marble tiles in her front porch, her baggy top bunching around her middle. Her clothes were eating her up. Slowly, her eyes fluttered shut and she swore she heard her mother calling her name, but she couldn't be sure because darkness greeted her soon after, with soft kisses over her eyelids and gentle whispers into her ear, lulling her to sleep.

"Oh, Jade, what have you done?" With a light kiss on her cheek.

She swore it was real.

.

When she woke up, her stepmother was pacing around her bedroom, chewing down on her lower lip. She was murmuring to herself, rubbing her hands together. The familiar taste of disdain and displeasure flooded into Jade's system when Annie rushed to her side and scooped up her hand inside of her own. "Jade, are you okay?" she asked teary eyed.

Jade mustered the strength to pull her hand weakly from her stepmother and inched away from her. Annie's green eyes glimmered with worry, fear and for a faint second, Jade thought she saw a familiar emotion fleeting across her face, but she couldn't be sure. Annie always gave her that look, and Jade hated it. She hated it because she remembered that look, but it was never on Annie's face. It was never in her seaweed green eyes, but rather dark, mysterious chocolate ones.

"Don't touch me," Jade grunted while trying to push herself up off the bed, "what happened?"

"You collapsed," Annie murmured softly, pushing some stray blonde curls behind her ear, "I heard you fall and brought you inside."

"_You_ brought me inside?" The younger girl sneered, holding unto her bedpost for support. Annie blinked, hurt etched across her face before she stood up, pulled at her tank top and made her way to Jade.

"The doctor said you are dehydrated and your body doesn't have enough nutrients." She paused, "and I noticed you lost a lot of weight recently. I know something is wrong, Jade. Tell me right now, do you have an-"

"Stop right there," Jade commanded, holding one of her tiny hands up in the air. She struggled to move closer to Annie, her jaw clenched and her eyes burning red with anger. Before she got the chance to finish, she stumbled and found herself falling face forward. She braced herself for the impact, and winced when Annie's tanned arms encircled her shoulders. Jade tried to push her away, but she was just so tired.

"Let's get you back to bed." Annie whispered, rubbing circles into her back. Jade had seen her do this many times to her little brother Jonah, and if she tries hard enough, she thinks she remembers her own mother hugging her like this when she was a child, but she isn't sure. She tried to resist Annie, to push her away, but she was so tired and the room was spinning and all of a sudden Annie had chocolate eyes instead of seaweed green and she really needed to lie down.

"Oh, Jade, what have you done?" With a light kiss on her cheek.

She swore it was real.

.

Monday morning, against Annie's wishes (not like Jade had ever cared for them), Jade went to school. Well rather Annie refused to let her drive and had her father confiscate her car keys (another reason why Jade couldn't stand her) and so after dropping her annoying little brother off at kindergarten, she had Al their driver, drop her off at Hollywood Arts.

She hated that big, black car.

She hated it.

She rushed out of the car before Al could even unbuckle his seat-belt and open the door for her, large black sunglasses perched upon her face. She re-adjusted the bag strap on her shoulder and ignored Al's friendly wave goodbye before storming off. She made sure to keep on the lookout for Tori Vega. It wasn't that she was afraid of Tori, but she knew if Tori found out about her little Sleeping Beauty act on her front porch, she would never leave her alone (as if she wasn't already sticking to her side like a disgusting leech). Then Tori might show up at her house and get chummy with Annie and then, Jade made a face, who knew what could happen when the two of them got involved in her life.

Tori and Annie.

Even their stupid names sounded similar.

Jade shoved her bag roughly inside her locker, before cautiously glancing around the hallway to see if Tori was lurking anywhere, then took large strides to the bathroom.

She had to see what was new today.

.

The first time Jade saw it, she had looked up at the back of the bathroom door because, well, there was nothing else to do when she was peeing. When she was done, she took a step closer and squinted at her name written in a thick black sharpie. It wasn't the only name up here, but it was the only one written in such a thick marker. She reached up and drew her index finger across the word.

_Bitch._

It made her scoff and roll her eyes, if this person had any balls at all, they would tell her to her face and not write it on the inside of some stupid bathroom stall.

Curiosity brought her to the same stall a week later after she asked to be excused from another one of Sikowitz's dumb class. She made sure all the stalls were empty before she locked herself inside.

_Bitch._

_Gank._

_Asshole._

She let out a crude laugh, as if she didn't know those things about herself already.

The third time she paid a visit to her stall, because by now, Ashley James' list of insults had been written over in a purple marker by one of Jade's critics, there were not only nouns there but rather, full sentences.

_Jade West is evil._

_I hate Jade West._

_She should be alone forever._

The latest addition, it seems, was scratched into the door with what Jade assumed to be a compass from someone's geometry set.

_Jade West is a _F A T_ bitch._

She blinked once, twice and the third time she felt dampness on her cheek. Her hand wiped the tear away, but she was dismayed to find that it wasn't just a single tear, a flood soon followed, silent and all-consuming; the worst kind. She stayed still, sucking in deep breaths.

Since when was she ever fat?

As a child she had ridiculously chubby cheeks, but she thought she outgrew them and left them with her childhood, where they belonged.

A shaky hand gently traced the word over and over until the bell rang and it was fourth period.

**F A T**

.

Today, she had to see what else her offenders had added. She had to see what else she was doing wrong. It wasn't like she cared what they thought or anything, she was just confused. She was the most popular girl in the whole of Hollywood Arts, she was friends with all the seniors and they always came to her for advice about their screenplays when they needed it. She got invited to their parties and played beer pong with them. She met their siblings and hell, they would randomly call her up just to hangout when they were bored but she always turned them down.

Well, she used to.

Beck hated it when she went anywhere without him, he always wanted in on those parties and she hated how he acted around the seniors so she chose to ignore their invitations. But now that she was single, sans Beck Oliver, she had no reason to turn them down. They kept asking though, they were always asking. But it was okay, because she was supposed to be well loved, wasn't she?

.

_Jade West is cold._

_She didn't deserve Beck._

_She should be more like Tori._

_._

_Jade West is sick._

_Oh boo, that _ WHORE_. She should die._

_Jade lost weight, maybe she's finally taking our advice._

_._

_Jade looks better this way._

_She doesn't speak anymore._

_She is chasing everyone away._

_._

_I'm glad I'm not friends with her. I hate her._

_Poor Tori. I feel bad for her, she's always trying to help Jade._

_I want to kill her._

.

In her hand, she was clutching a black sharpie of her own. Her chest sounded in her ears, roaring in resistance but her heart was just so weak, so very weak that she could not bring herself to stop. Her hands shook and her writing was rickety. Her insides clenched and she felt bile rising in her throat, but she never stopped. She was getting dizzy again from writing a stupid sentence. A single stupid sentence, and when she was done her body fell still. She was calm, her mind went blank and her chest thrummed softly, crying bloody tears that slowly travelled around her body, mournfully. She took a step back and admired her work.

_Jade West is broken._

.

.

Cat and Andre were huddled by Andre's locker, their heads bent together as they whispered solemnly to each other. Tori wanted to ask them what they were whispering about, because it seemed like they were always whispering about something or the other. Across the hall, Robbie was having an avid conversation with Rex in his hands, while Beck was getting some books from his locker.

With Jade's mini explosion on the weekend after the disastrous dinner, Tori hadn't been able to focus much. There were many times when she had picked up her cell phone, ready to call Jade so they could talk it out, because texting really wouldn't do the job, but Tori's mom had told her to give Jade some time too cool down. All everyone ever said was to give Jade some space and frankly, Tori didn't agree.

She was afraid that if she took a step back, Jade would take advantage of said space and wiggle her way through until she was out of Tori's grasp completely. Then Tori would have no chance at getting her back. She couldn't risk that, she couldn't risk losing Jade completely.

She didn't know why she was clinging to Jade the way she did, well, maybe she did. Tori's parents were never around and when they were, they were always running away when she looked for advice. Trina, because of their parents' negligence, acted out in whatever way she could. All Tori really wanted was a role model- someone she could look up to, and while she loved Trina dearly, there was no way she could seek any advice from her older sister. Tori had nobody to comfort her, nobody to ask her how her day was and wait for her answer. She wanted someone to look out for her, the way a real sister or parents should and she wanted Jade to be that person.

When she was a child, Tori would envision the older sister she wanted. She would be passionate, strong willed and opinionated. She would always protect Tori from the bullies and would never let her out of her sight. She would be one of those hardcore girls with the soft, surprise center. Jade West was the ideal sister Tori had always wanted.

.

"Jade," Tori overhead Beck say later that morning, "you lost some weight, didn't you? You look nice." He gave Jade a wide smile and Jade shrugged her shoulders in response. "I always told you that you should work out with me, but you never did."

Tori gritted her teeth and she felt Andre stiffen in the seat next to her. "Beck, what the hell are you doing?" Tori asked when Cat stole Jade's attention and hammered on about her brother for the next few minutes.

Beck shot Tori a curious look and Robbie scratched his scalp nervously, "what are you talking about?"

"Why would you bring that up with, Jade, man? That ain't cool." Andre shook his dreds and Beck's face hardened.

"She's lost too much weight. It isn't healthy. She doesn't eat." Tori hissed and Beck pursed his lips together and narrowed his eyes.

"Are you implying that I am the reason she stopped eating?" He responded darkly, and Tori was taken aback; she had never heard Beck use this voice before.

"No, but-"

"Well good. Then I do believe this conversation is over." Beck said coolly before turning around in his seat. Andre sucked his teeth and Tori put her hand on his thigh, a silent signal for him to calm down. Tori didn't know exactly what just happened, but Beck had somehow transformed into a dragon, he bared his teeth and growled before he turned into the Beck Oliver she knew, stony faced and silent.

"Andre, I'm scared." Tori whispered when Cat had dragged Robbie into her conversation with Jade. "What if something bad happens to Jade?"

Andre looked over at his best friends, he saw her unruly hair and the way her eyes glinted with tears. She sniffled softly and brought a fist to stop herself from crying. "Nothing is going to happen. We'll help her Tori, we'll help her. Don't worry." He brought a hand around her shoulder and she snuggled into his side.

"Tori, are you okay?" Cat whimpered after scampering next to them, dropping Mr. Longneck in the process. Robbie bent down to pick up her beloved stuffed animal and handed it to her after nudging her ever so slightly.

"I just feel kind of sick today, that's all." She said, her voice muffled by Andre's shirt.

"Sick like Jade," Rex cackled from Robbie's hand.

Jade froze and clenched her arms before she grabbed the puppet and slammed it as hard as she could against the nearest wall at the back of the walls behind Tori and Andre. With a sickening crack, Rex's plastic head cracked open and split down the middle of his face. Robbie spluttered and he went so much as to push Cat out of the way to get to his puppet.

"What is wrong with you?" Robbie shrieked, cradling Rex in his hands.

"I did you a favor, you can thank me later."

"Why are you such a gank?" Robbie looked up at her, eyes brimming with tears, just like the last time. "I almost lost him once, I don't want to lose him again."

"You're turning seventeen soon, that's no way for a teenage boy to live." She spoke slowly, seemingly unfazed by his gank comment- at least he said it to her face right? Somehow it hurt less than the writing on the wall.

[F A T]

[D I E]

"I hate you," Robbie whispered before darting out of the room like a preteen girl going through puberty.

[G A N K]

[S L U T]

"Oh, I know." Jade said when she thought nobody was listening. "I know all about that, actually."

[I HATE HER]

**.**

**.**

**.**

**(.x.)**

* * *

**Edited. Psh-yeah.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: no**

**(.x.)**

**Shadows and Echoes**

**Chapter 3**

**.**

**.**

**.**

_you're only half-here, _

_like someone left a frail body,_

_then took the rest_

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Jade-"

"Go away, Cat."

"Can you-"

"Be quiet."

"Is that what you want?"

"Yes."

So Cat sat as still as she could on the steps leading to Hollywood Arts. Her elbows were digging into her thighs as she propped her head up. She sucked in a breath to hum softly, then glanced at her friend clad in black and reconsidered. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. After sighing heavily, she scooted closer to Jade, despite the disgusted face her raven haired friend was making.

"I can stay quiet for as long as you like," Cat said hesitantly. When Jade didn't reply, Cat hooked her hand through Jade's and tried to smile as widely as she could, as brilliantly as she could muster, for the both of them. It was a beautiful day. When they were younger, Jade and Cat used to try and catch butterflies on days like this. The sun would make Jade's skin red while Cat glowed with a fresh tan. Jade would wish she wouldn't look like a red lobster and Cat would wish she could get a sprinkle of freckles across the bridge of her nose. Jade's mother would call them in for lemonade or ice-cream and they would giggle as Jade's mother told them all sorts of stories about princesses.

Today, Cat was chasing a butterfly, the wings sleek and black with tints of blue when she squinted she eyes. She wasn't giggling, but rather her cheeks were wet with fresh tears. The sound of the butterfly's wings fluttering against the wind produced a melancholy sort of song that Cat found herself swaying along to. Just when her hand was encircling the butterfly, it arched its wings and took off once more, leaving her alone with its sad tune.

"Where do you disappear?" Cat asked, finally breaking the silence. Jade remained unsurprised but still irritated, she knew Cat couldn't shut up. She knew it, but she let her stay regardless.

"I'm here, aren't I?" Jade rolled her eyes and pulled her hand out of Cat's grasp, ignoring the downcast eyes.

"No you aren't." Cat persisted, too tired to argue, Jade let Cat continue. "Your eyes aren't here, they are in a faraway place." Cat paused, if only to bring her hand to her mouth. She pulled in a breath of courage before saying, "we always try to find you, but you like the darkness more than you like us."

Jade furrowed her eyebrows in displeasure. Sometimes, Cat spoke in riddles, she spoke a language Jade spoke fluently when they were children, mere neighbours with gleaming eyes and wide toothy smiles, but due to lack of practice, Jade was unable to follow Cat's train of thought. She couldn't comprehend what Cat was trying to say, far less for replying so she decided she would cast Cat's words away with the other useless stories she told about her brother.

"Sizowitz is in class," Andre's voice broke the silence, "he really wants you two there." Cat squeaked, startled at the sound and gave Jade one last pleading look, begging Jade to understand, but Jade ignored her and remained unmoving on the old stairs.

"Hey," Andre said gently, "I-"

"Stop." Jade commanded, her voice rigid, with a certain fatigue that made Andre feel bad for speaking in the first place, "I don't need any more people trying to give me a pep talk. I don't need any more makeshift therapy lessons either."

"Well what do you need then?" Andre's red converse stood in front of her, the laces permanently stained with boyish memories and dirt.

"Just a friend, like how we were." She finally said.

"You want the truth?" She nodded her head dumbly, "I'm worried about you. I don't care if you tell me not to worry, but as much as you like to deny it, we're your friends and you need to accept it sooner or later. You need to find out whatever is making you like this, and you need to beat the shit out of it, because I'm pissed off I can't help you." Andre whispered the last part softly, his cheeks stinging red and scuffed his old red converse, the one Jade remembered him having since they were sixteen, against the finely cemented surface. He held out his hand, "let's get back to class." He pretended it didn't hurt when she didn't accept his hand.

.

Jade wasn't going to lie and say she was happy to be alone at lunch, without Tori Vega yapping away about her stupid classes. She was appreciative of the silence, but she wanted Tori to distract her. She wanted Tori to be there so Jade could release whatever shit she had pent up inside of her unto Tori, to lash out on her because, well Tori had volunteered. Atypically, she wasn't there, already waiting for her. Tori liked to arrive at the table and lay out all the bowls like they were at some sort of formal feast. It was annoying, really, but then again, it was also sort of welcoming.

Not having anything else to do at lunch, she pulled out her thick black binder and flipped to a blank page. She gripped the pencil she had tucked in its spine before a chipper voice made her jump and snap the pencil in two.

"What are you doing?" Tori put her stuff down and wore an apologetic smile, "sorry I'm late. I was helping Robbie to try and put Rex back together."

Jade stiffened and slammed her binder shut, "why?" She left the two sides of the pencil discarded on the table.

"Rex means a lot to him." Tori opened the lip of Jade's small lunch bowl and handed her a plastic fork.

"Rex is a puppet." Jade spat bitterly, "And it's not healthy for a teenaged boy to be so attached to an inanimate object."

"It's not healthy for you to stop eating either," Tori spoke softly, "but I didn't take food and shove it down your throat, did I?" Maybe she was venturing too far, but Tori didn't forget the way Jade had pushed her away, all the times she insulted her, made cracks about her mother and her sister. She wanted to help Jade, not be a doormat that she wiped her feet on.

"I'm done." Jade grabbed her things and left her untouched food on the table. The plastic fork was still in her hand when she clenched her fists. It snapped it half after puncturing her palm, Jade froze as a tiny droplet of crimson blood collected and frowned deeply. She hastily threw the fork on the floor and wiped the small speck of blood away, vowing to never as so much as think of doing something that stupid again.

She rolled her eyes, she wasn't that stupid.

.

Beck had just finished playing his second round of pool, you know, the one he lost, when someone came running up to him. "You need to take your girl home," he said heaving a breath. He was motioning to something over his shoulder, and Beck stayed silent, regarding the man.

"Look, I think you have the wrong person-" Beck held his hands up and shook his head slowly. He didn't bring anyone here, not his friends, not anyone from Hollywood Arts, no date, nothing. This dark little cove was his hiding place. This was where Beck was free to be Beck Oliver, whoever that turned out to be.

"I know she's yours man!" The man protested before grabbing Beck's hand and dragging him over to the bar.

There he saw a white dress, six shot glasses and two other miscellaneous empty glasses before a soft whimpering made him blink in surprise.

One.

Jade was pressed up against the wall.

Two.

Jade was drunk out of her mind.

Three.

Some guy had his hands all over her.

Four.

"Go get your girl, what the hell are you waiting on, man? Don't just stand there! Do something!" The man gave Beck a rough shove.

Five.

He pulled Jade out of the guy's grasp, pushed her out of the way, not even bothering to see if she stumbled away safely before his fist slammed into the other guy's face.

Six.

He had to have been a sophomore, a college sophomore that is. His grey eyes glinted mischievously. "She didn't say she had a boyfriend." He grinned cheekily and rubbing his jaw.

Seven.

Someone was calling his name. Beck struck again, this time he missed.

Eight.

Someone was holding him back.

Nine.

The frat boy ran a hand through his auburn curls and smirked as blood dribbled down his lip.

Ten.

"Beck, what the hell are you doing?" Tori's screeching distracted him and the frat boy took a quick shot the bartender had produced before the altercation and then slinked away unharmed, aside from his slightly bleeding lip. "You're bleeding!" Beck pulled free and was disgruntled to find that Tori was the one holding him back. When was she strong enough to do that? Next to her, Jade was pulling down her dress. _A bit too late for that, isn't it Jade_, Beck gritted his teeth.

"Jade, what the hell were you doing?" Beck took a step forward, demanding answers from his ex-girlfriend. He should have known she was the one who the guy (who had now disappeared) was talking about. Beck brought her here twice and only twice, how she remembered it was beyond him. As for the man, Beck didn't know who he was or how he even knew about him and Jade but he couldn't help be feel a wave of gratitude.

"Beck, stop yelling at her!" came Tori's aggravated reply even though she herself was yelling. Nobody heard them over the loud whiney indie music that blared through the overhead speakers. Nobody so much as even looked in their direction.

"What are you doing here?" Beck directed, in a particularly nasty voice. He used to shirt to alleviate his bleeding nose, hissing as it throbbed madly under the soft cotton, while simultaneously glaring at Tori. She was in jeans and an old sweater, if Beck didn't know any better he would say she was-

"Jade texted me." Tori pulled her Pearphone from her back pocket and held it in front of Beck's face, "I had a lot of trouble reading it because, well there are a lot of mistakes, but I got here." She pushed the phone back into her back pocket then crossed her arms once more, a dark look dancing across her face, "did you come here with her and let her get like this?"

"Tori-"

"I really expected more from you, okay Beck?"

"Can you just-"

"But after the breakup, I lost a lot of respect for you. Especially after you tried to-"

"Tori, Jade is gone!"

.

"Where the fuck did you go last night?" Beck's breath was on her neck and it made her fidget uncomfortably before bringing a hand to her head, she had a blinding headache. "Don't ignore me, Jade." Beck spoke lowly, ignoring the hallway eyeing their close proximity. She took a step away from him and rolled her eyes, then winced at the effect it had on her pounding headache. "You don't drink, ever. So what changed?" Three years of a relationship meant that Jade knew Beck will enough to know that when he was angry, he was a snake, he could never be pacified or subdued. He was cold, bitter, harsh and calculating. He was her, he was like her, and Jade wondered if that was why they managed to last as long as they did, because they were the so similar.

"I changed." Jade shot him a severe glare and dumped her coffee into the nearest bin, losing her appetite. Every step away from him, made her shoulders ease and she fell apart piece by piece, shedding the Jade West she used to be, the girlfriend he loved, the girl everyone feared, until she was naked in her own skin. Until she was nothing more than she had ever been; a scared little girl without a hand to hold.

"What did you say to her?" Tori demanded, slamming her locker shut and falling into step with Beck, "did she tell you what happened?"

They had spent about two hours looking for her. Tori was hysterical and was ready to call her father and make a missing person report when Tori got a text. Two words that made her sigh in relief, ignoring Beck's dark looks and the way he never stopped running his hand through his hair. Something happened that night, Beck and Tori who were usually so in-sync, snapped and they fell out of place. They no longer saw eye to eye and every single time Beck gave her a condescending look, Tori huffed and pursed her lips in displeasure. The very basis of their friendship was gone and now they had nothing in common.

_Home. Thanks._

"Why would she text you and not me?" Beck had muttered, his words laced with anger and bitterness, a lethal combination.

"Maybe because I wouldn't have condemned her for her mistakes." Came the unwarranted reply.

The world tilted and there was a vat of unresolved issues, of mistrust, of anger and a sort of hostility that was bubbling under the surface, waiting to explode in their faces.

She was expecting the glare she got from Beck but what she wasn't expecting was the way he held up a hand and sucked his teeth, "Tori, stay out of this."

"You can't tell me what to do, Beck." Tori spluttered, her cheeks flaming an awful sort of red. She narrowed her eyes and whispered fiercely, "in case you forgot, you are her _ex_-boyfriend. You don't get to call the shots anymore." Then she spun around and followed took large strides to the bathroom where she was almost positive Jade had disappeared off to, leaving Beck with another one of those condescending look on his face, darkened eyes and a cold, twisted smile as he ran his hand through his hair. If he knew Jade, he knew there was no way Tori would be able to reach her if Beck couldn't and that very thought made him smile, just a little.

"Jade?" She called softly, peeking her head into the bathroom.

"I can't even have privacy while I'm trying to pee?" Tori winced at Jade's tone. She was doing it again, lashing out.

"I'm sorry."

Jade rolled her eyes, digging through her bag inside the stall. "Just wait outside." Tori cleared her throat, wanting to say more but rather closed the door behind her, doing what she was told, ignoring Beck's smirk as he walked down the hallway.

When Jade heard the door snap shut, she pulled out her black trusted sharpie. She uncapped the marker with her teeth, closed her eyes briefly and then her hand moved against the plastic door before anyone one else came in and recognized the stall she was would come out of.

.

_Jade West is beyond repair._

**.**

**.**

**.**

**(.x.)**

**This was almost 4k. Whoops. Beck is all jelly, how cute. Not. I know you're all wondering how Jade got home. Guess who's saving that for the next chapter. L8r h8rs**


	4. Chapter 4

**(.x.)**

* * *

**Shadows and Echoes**

**Chapter 4**

**.**

**.**

**.**

_you could come and save me_

_and try to chase the crazy_

_right out of my head_

**.**

**.**

**.**

It was a treacherous day at school. When Jade wasn't doing her best to alleviate her headache, she was avoiding Tori and her worried gaze, she was avoiding Beck and his angry sneers, she was side stepping around Cat and she was rolling her eyes whenever Andre gave her a small smile. As for Robbie, well ever since Rex's accident, they hadn't even said a single word to each other. Sometimes when his gaze found hers, she flinched. She had never seen so much hatred directed at her before- not from Tori or Beck, her dad or even Annie.

Speaking of Annie, she would not leave her alone either. Jade groaned and closed her eyes briefly as Sikowitz droned on about his topic: The Art of Emotion. She knew she should have just left with Tori. She didn't know why she called Annie in the first place. Beck and Tori were glaring at each other and showing teeth like two rabid bears in the middle of the forest, as if she was some sort of helpless misguided cub. Well, Jade West may be a lot of things but she sure as hell wasn't a cub. And yet the only person she could think of to call was her step-mother. Mama Bear herself. The entire thing was just a foul mess and if you knew anything about Jade it was that she hated to clean.

Tori, judging from her well organized locker and closet (the few times Jade snuck into the Vega house through Tori's window) seemed to love cleaning. Figured.

_"Don't say anything," she commanded in her drunken drawl._

_"I won't." Annie sighed while pulling off the curb. Jade swore she saw Beck and Tori run out of the club in the rear view mirror before Annie took a right turn and the two figures disappeared behind the old brick buildings and the menacing palm trees that lined the sidewalks. Everything changes when the sun falls. "You're not allowed to wear that dress again." Annie commented offhand, breaking the silence in the car. Jade should have known it was too good to last. _

_"Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do?" The teen snapped irritably, head leaning against the window and eyes fighting to stay open and alert._

_"The person who is saving your ass and not telling your father exactly what almost happened inside of there." If she was fully awake, Jade would have appreciated Annie's choice words and the fact that she cursed and marred her perfect little mouth with obscenities but instead she made an annoyed sound in the back of her throat._

_"Point taken."_

_"You're also not allowed to sneak off anymore- not unless I know where you are." Annie's fingers drummed against the steering wheel, which Jade did her best to ignore. _

_"Why? So you can follow me around and hold my hand and beg me to talk about my feelings over a cup of hot chocolate?" She could feel Annie stiffening beside her, she could feel the rope Annie threw in her direction shortening and Jade was sure that one day (because it will happen one day) Annie is going to run out of rope and there will be nobody trying to pull Jade to safety. _

_"Essentially." Sarcasm was never a good colour on Annie. _

_"Well maybe I just won't go anywhere anymore." Jade huffed and crossed her arms indigently. _

_"All the better then." And the car pulled to a stop in her driveway ten minutes later, "we're home." Annie announced softy, the words falling slowly and gracefully out of her lips and filling the emptiness of the car. She unbuckled her seatbelt and clamped her eyes shut as the automatic metal gate finally swung itself shut and the car stopped humming, soon enough all she heard was Jade's breathing. What she wanted more than anything was to hold her hand and pull her into a hug because her words may fill the car but they never seemed to fill Jade. And while the teen had always been difficult in the eleven years that Annie's known the girl, recently it seemed like Jade was always jumping over hurdles and breathing fire at everyone that came too close. When Annie opened her eyes and faced her (step)daughter, Jade had somehow passed out in the passenger seat, her moussed hair fell over her face and her head leaned against the window. Her bejeweled eyes were screwed shut and Annie paused briefly before she removed Jade's seatbelt and got her out of the car._

When class was over, Jade did all but run out with her bag slung over her shoulder. When she had made it to her locker, Cat bounced over as chipper and as cheery as she had ever been. Not a care of worry in the world. For a moment Jade wished she could be like that and then scowled at her own pathetic thoughts as Cat smiled and gleamed and giggled and twirled and clapped her hands and tugged on the end of Jade's hair. She never stopped talking either, Jade felt like throttling her. She felt like balling Cat up and knocking Beck and Tori out with her during a lovely game of dodge ball.

"Jade," Cat said seriously, when she realized Jade wasn't giving her any sort of attention, but was rather biting her lip with a painful expression on her face. "I want to give you this," the redhead fumbled through her bag before she produced Mr. Longneck. "I am lending you Mr. Longneck," Cat was stroking the crown of the thing's head now, "to keep you company until you come back." She said cryptically.

Through her splitting headache Jade managed to narrow her eyes and snatch the old giraffe from Cat's hand skeptically, "Where am I coming from?"

Cat shrugged, eyeing her feet, "you're welcome."

**.**

**.**

"Come along, Mr. Longneck, we've got some things to do," she said.

When Al dropped Jade home after school, she slammed the front door shut like she usually did and wearily walked into the living room with Mr. Longneck perched securely under her arm. After ascending into her room and dumping her bag on her hardwood floor, she threw Mr. Longneck haphazardly across her room and watched lazily as it ricocheted off her deep lavender wall and secured a safe landing near the edge of her bed. She had just kicked off her shoes when the doorbell sounded. She ignored the first three rings but as she heard the fourth and a soft wail, Jade huffed angrily and stomped down the staircase to the front door.

As she swung the door open with exaggerated force and her scowl in place, a head of shaggy brown curls ran into her abdomen and wrapped its arms around her legs. "Jaaade," her little brother whined. "Jade, I ran away." He sniffled into her tummy and Jade rolled her eyes.

"Pull yourself together, Jonah. You can't always run away from your problems." She ignored the irony of her statement and stepped back to allow them both inside so she could shut the door. Jonah apparently had no plans of letting her free any time soon. She had wriggled and tried to pry his hands off without hurting him, but he had a strong grip. When he sniffled loudly again, Jade heaved a sigh heavier than any other girl her age in America sighed at that very moment, and patted her brother's hair before opening her mouth again, "what I meant to say was, did you walk all the way home?"

"Uh huh," came his muffled reply.

When he didn't elaborate she maneuvered them both to the kitchen and prodded again, "So what are you running from?"

"Bullies," he sniffled.

And she smiled a crooked smile, "You and me both, kid."

"We should beat them up." Jonah tugged on the ends of her shirt gently and she slapped his little hands away- she hated when other people touched her clothes (although she didn't mind so much when Beck was doing it). "You can bring your scissors!"

"If it's anything I'd feel proud of, it is this moment right here. Come on, let's go for a drive." She tugged off his school bag and grabbed her brother's sweaty hand, ignoring his tear streaked face and the way some of his hair was matted to his forehead. He laced their hands and gave her a ridiculously large grin that made her narrow her eyes as he giggled and pulled her out of the very door he threw himself through. Briefly, Jade wondered if there was ever someone who held her hand when she came home crying. If there was someone who would still hold her hand, grip it tightly and never let her venture off too far into the dark corners of her mind. She wondered if she got lost, if anyone would even notice her missing. If they'd come looking for her or if they'd erase her from their mind as easily as her cellphone deleted all of Tori's text messages.

"You won't tell mum, will you?" Jonah asked suddenly as she helps him buckle his seatbelt in the backseat. His green eyes were wide with worry and he jutted out his lower lip so much that for a second, Jade almost got the sudden urge to grin dumbly down at her little brother and do something extremely frightening like ruffle his hair or squeeze his cheeks.

"I won't if you promise me you'll never walk home by yourself again."

.

.

When Jade returned home with two leftover burgers and a little brother with chocolate ice-cream smeared across his face, Annie was pacing the floor of their living room in her red stilettos. "Are you two out of your minds?" She demanded and rushed to their sides. Jonah sent his sister an alarmed look that Jade chose to ignore as Annie's hands grabbed them both in a death grip. Jonah, Jade mused sourly, must have gotten his strength from Annie.

"Relax, we just went for some lunch." Jade grumbled and pulled herself free.

"How can I relax when two of my children were missing from school?" Annie's voice raised an octave higher and Jade winced; Annie's voice was almost as piercing as her gaze.

"I'm not your-"

"As if it's the time for that right now," Annie snapped and Jade clamped her mouth shut. Annie never snapped, she always spoke calmly, gently, soothingly, it was almost as if Annie's voice was a lullaby. And though she never caught her singing, Jade was almost positive she remembered Annie singing her to bed as a little girl. The memory made her purse her lips petulantly and adopt a bored expression. "You didn't even think to leave a note! I thought you two were kidnapped, or stranded somewhere- or worse! Especially when I realized your cellphone was on the kitchen counter."

"Well that's the last time I'll take Jonah anywhere." Jade crossed her arms and pushed pass Annie and clambered up the stairs as loudly as she could.

"Jade and I shared the biggest burger I've ever seen." Jonah supplied, then motioned to the takeout that Jade had abandoned on coffee table. "We couldn't even finish it!" His eyes gleamed with childlike wonder as he jumped on the spot. "Please don't get mad," he eyed Jade's retreating figure and pouted slightly once more.

"Oh," Annie paused, "well that depends on how big the burger was."

"It was this big," Jonah spread his hands apart and gestured wildly, flailing his small arms about him.

"Well, I suppose I can look past it for the biggest burger you've ever seen," is the last thing Jade heard before she slammed her bedroom door shut. _Only because you got Jade to eat some more_, is what she didn't have to say aloud, and those words managed to penetrate her pores and claw their way into her bloodstream, clogging her arteries and giving a sharp, prickling in her chest. She was about to explode with a fiery mess of words, emotions, unexplained feelings and five hundred pounds of sorrows and doubts on her shoulders when she caught sight of Mr. Longneck- she settled for a roll of the eyes instead.

**.**

**.**

**.**

"How come you skipped school yesterday?" Tori asked as casually as she could the next day at lunch.

"None of your business," was the biting reply.

"Aw, come on Jade." Cat whined and shot the girl in question a deep pout that reminded her of Jonah's.

It was why she said, "I wasn't feeling well so I got Al to drop me home."

"Who's Al?" came Tori's immediate response. It always annoyed Jade how Tori liked to know things; the way she was always asking about her favourite colour or song or book, the way she asked why Jade got so many tattoos or other irrelevant things.

"Her driver," Cat supplied, taking a sip of her cola.

"I didn't know you have a driver," Tori commented with her eyebrows drawn together.

"Yeah well, there are a lot of things you don't know about me."

"As if I didn't already know that." Tori murmured and Jade shot her a weary glance but refrained from commenting further. After the little excursion with Jonah yesterday, she would be lying if she said she wasn't in a better frame of mind. It wasn't much but she had needed the break. It was almost like there was a crack in the sky and the sun was peering through the rain clouds trying to find her so it could shed light on the things she liked to keep in the shadows.

"So Robbie is having a funeral for Rex," was the first thing Andre said after he plopped down next to Tori. Cat, who was opposite him, lunged forward to steal some of his French fries. "We should go.

"No thanks." Jade stiffened, remembering Robbie and his red eyes and runny nose and the way his voice broke when he yelled at her. She was almost jealous of him, which was almost completely idiotic. Robbie didn't care if anyone saw him crying in public. Or rather, nobody cared if Robbie cried, they would ignore him or roll their eyes; a few sympathetics would pat him on the back good naturally as if they actually cared about Rex and his borderline sexual harassment comments. If Jade so much as let a single tear leak out of her eyes, she would never live it down. She would probably end up with a second door dedicated to her meltdown.

The kids in high school were vultures. It was a kill or be killed kind of world. Jade knew this all too well. Everyone was always watching and judging, pointing and whispering and murmuring as if she wasn't just a teenager with a tad bit of abandonment issues. As if she wasn't human; as if she didn't have thoughts or feelings. As if she wasn't good enough to get a lifetime of immunity like Tori Vega but she wasn't so insignificant that she could easily disappear and be forgotten like Sinjin.

Sure, Jade was an actress and she wrote a few pieces. She sang a couple of songs and knew how to play the piano almost as well as Andre. Everyone in the audience had clapped and whistled and told her things like she was truly talent and called her the Marilyn Monroe of the century, but she knew what really happened. She wrote herself a tragedy and every day she gave the performance of her life. She sang sorrowful tunes about things like hope and lost love and maps that lead to more maps but never to any answers to questions. She sang of death and all his friends and she waited for someone to sing along with her; or to sing for her maybe? She wasn't sure. But the fact that she remained alone day in and day out spoke volumes to her.

As a child she always thought her mother would be the person to find her and take her away. To just come back and say, "I'm sorry, Jade. I had to run to the store but I got your favourite, Tapioca pudding!" And she would put some of her ruby red lipstick on Jade's lips and whips her curls into a high ponytail and put eyeliner around her eyes as efficiently as she could on a fidgety five year old. She would dress Jade up until they were two peas in a pod, until they matched from the red of her lips to the mischievous grin on her face.

"…are you sure you don't want to?" Andre was asking her, snapping her out of whatever stupid memory she had dredged up at their table.

"What?"

"Are you sure you don't want to go to Rex's-"

"Of course I'm sure. Rex is a puppet; an inanimate object. This whole funeral thing is going to make Robbie be an even bigger joke than he is now." Jade eyed the string beans Tori had placed in front of her scornfully. "I hate string beans," she hissed suddenly hyper aware of all the eyes trained on her. Not only the three losers at her table, but for the first time Jade actually felt everyone's eyes judging her and dissecting her movements.

She felt them eagerly lean forward in their seats to take notes about the way she was slouched over the table. She felt them when she cleared her throat, willing someone to say something; anything to distract her.

_[Oh boo, that WHORE]_

She felt them as her heartbeat sped up, as she fumbled for her things and swung her bag over her shoulder. She felt them smile, she heard conversations halt abruptly and when they smiled she saw razor sharp teeth, perfectly chiseled for maximum damage.

_[She should die]_

She saw them greedily assess the situation and take note of her jerky movements and the startled looks of her friends and they would howl with laughter.

_[I'm glad I'm not friends with her]_

"Are you ok, Jade?" Tori inquired softly, a stricken expression on her face. "If it's about the beans then-"

_[Poor Tori. I feel bad for her, she's always trying to help Jade]_

"It's not about your stupid beans, Vega."

"What is it?" Cat asked tearfully, "where are you going? What's wrong?"

_[__I hate her]_

"Yeah Jade, you don't look too good." Andre spoke earnestly and kept his dark eyes trained on his pale friend. She was resembling a caged deer more and more and he knew if they didn't let her go she would combust and explode in their faces, taking them all down with her. Jade stood up abruptly and her eyes searched the Asphalt Café frantically.

"Do I look green?" She asked them suddenly and when they didn't reply, she asked them again. "Do I look green?"

"I guess," Andre finally said.

"Like the Wicked Witch of the West then," She said flatly before darting out of the cafeteria. Tori was calling her name, waving her hands hysterically in the only way that Vegas can but Jade barely heard her. Instead she heard everyone else, she heard their accusations, she heard their complaints, she heard their jeers.

_[She is chasing everyone away]_

Usually she didn't run, she never ran from anything but today Jade dropped her bag on the black asphalt and get as far away from everyone as she could. She needed the physical distance between herself and her school. She was reaching her tipping point and she was sure they were going to tie her to the stake and watch her burn. That's what they did to witches, right?

_[Jade West is beyond repair]_

Tori was the one who ran after her, she picked up her bag and winced as everything fell out and tumbled to the ground; a catastrophe (even her bag was falling apart.) A roar of laughter erupted as she desperately tried to clear everything up and when she looked up to find the offenders, they avoided her gaze and whispered among themselves. She caught Beck's gaze and chewed her lower lip. He opened his mouth slightly and then snapped it shut, his eyes growing steely once more. He shut her out just like everyone else did. Nobody was willing to do something about Jade, to do something for Jade.

Nobody but Tori Vega anyway.

.

When Jade had visited her stall this morning, there was a lovely new addition:

_unfortunately the wicked witch isn't dead yet_, _lol_

.

.

.

* * *

**So yes, I'm back. LeleD2010 and I have made a pact to finish one of our multi-chapters this summer. This pact also included weekly updates. I apologize for the wait everyone. I was originally deterred from writing bc of a negative review this got. I guess I lost my self-confidence and got swept away with life. But I'm back and I hope you stick by my side as I attempt to finish this story. **

**There's a lot I want to do but I don't want to draw it out. I'm struggling maintaining to write as darkly as I did before but I think things will be taking a turn for the lighter soon. There will be a lot going on in terms of Jade and her relationship with her mother and where exactly her mother is and a lot of other subplots. **

**I hope you guys forgive me for taking so long.**

**Holla. **


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